By Sejal Mandal via SWNS
A young golfer is taking the junior golf world by storm with 12 first-place medals under his belt at age seven.
Mnqobi’s passion for golf began after playing “Mario Golf” on Nintendo Switch with his father Dominic Chilvers, 38.
Eager to support his son’s passion, Dominic started taking Mnqobi to play mini-golf, where it quickly became clear that the young boy had a natural talent for the sport.
In just three years, Mnqobi has competed in over 40 tournaments, winning a total of 19 medals and seven trophies.
Proud dad Dominic says he wants to continue encouraging his son while allowing him to make his own decisions about his future.
Mnqobi looks up to golf legends like Min Woo Lee, Bryson DeChambeau, Rory McIlroy, Martin Borgmeier and Nelly Korda and he hopes to emulate them one day.
The youngster added that he wants to continue playing “until I turn pro”.
Dominic, a former skydiving coach from Buckinghamshire, said: “We played Mario Golf on the Nintendo Switch together and he asked if he could try real golf.
“I took him to play pirate golf and it just took off from there.”
Seeing Mnqobi’s enthusiasm, Dominic took him to the driving range every day after nursery to practice.
Six months later, Mnqobi asked if he could have private lessons, so Dominic decided to get him a coach.
Dominic said: “He started with self-teaching before moving to private one-on-one lessons.
“As his father it’s absolutely amazing every time watching him work hard.
“And see him so happy when he improves at something he’s practiced is just incredible.”
For the past two years, Mnqobi now has been training five to six times a week at the golf course under the guidance of a local coach Damien Woodward.
Mnqobi’s hard work has led him to victory in the Boys 6 and Under North London Tour in 2023, a key event for young golfers to gain experience.
He also took first place in the 2023 Black British Golfers Future champions event, a competition promoting diversity and highlighting emerging talent.
And he also took third place at the US Kids 2024 and Under British Championships at Woodhall Spa, a prestigious international tournament aimed at young golfers under the age of 24.
You can follow Mnqobi’s (@Mnqobi_Golf) progress on TikTok, Instagram or other social media platforms.
